Even though the article was only posted for less than two days, the dedication of Ninth Avenue between Bayfront Parkway and Cervantes Street in honor of Lewis Bear Jr. received the most views last month. Pensacola may never see another business leader like him. Pensacola, State Honor Legacy of Lewis Bear Jr. with Roadway Dedication
2. Readers were stunned that the University of West Florida Board of Trustees would allocate $1 million for its interim president to renovate his offices and other initiatives. Trustee chair Rebecca Matthews will do nearly anything to please her boo, Manny Diaz, but the former Education Commissioner could have waited six months until he got the job. UWF Trustees Give Interim Prez $1M for office renovations
3. Infill, the need for more housing and the desire to preserve a neighborhood’s character collided on East Government Street with plans to replace attorney Bob Kerrigan’s old office with condos. This battle will be acted out repeatedly until the Pensacola City Council makes changes to the Land Development Code. Next Neighborhood Battle: E. Government Street
4. It must have been something I wrote because the blog was dropped from the internal news feed that the UWF administration shares with its staff. I think people will continue to find the blog without a problem. Meanwhile, the Harry Roy Membership Committee, known by some as the UWF Presidential Search Committee, proposed a salary range that ensures Interim President Manny Diaz will become Pensacola’s next millionaire. UWF Drops Rick’s Blog, Manny’s Big Payday
5. Pensacola State College was ordered to ditch PBS and convert WSRE to a less mainstream television station, and three Trustees agreed to axe Big Bird and decertify the WSRE Foundation, which has over $5 million in the bank. The public isn’t happy, but who cares—other than Inweekly? Pensacola State College kills off Big Bird, cuts ties to WSRE
6. UWF is surveying its staff about interest in having a charter school on campus. Funny, no one talked to the School of Education faculty about it. UWF Getting Charter School, But Who Will Run It?
7. The Escambia County Commission balked at giving the City of Pensacola $2 million for the demolition of the old Baptist Hospital—the one in the Black neighborhood—because hospital officials reneged on their pledge to leave medical services there. Mayor D.C. Reeves took possession of the property anyway in a private ceremony with only select media in the room. Chances for City-County-Baptist Hospital deal on demolition look dim – Rick’s Blog
8. Having a Gannett-owned newspaper without editorials has made the community dependent on media outside the area to help us cover the big stories. WUSF found it unusual that UWF replaced its general counsel with a law firm that has profited from contracts with the DeSantis administration.WUSF Picks Up Story on UWF Hiring DeSantis-linked Law Firm – Rick’s Blog
9. IMPACT 100 continues to make headlines. IMPACT 100 Names 2025 Finalists – Rick’s Blog
10. Pensacola Mayor D.C. Reeves hasn’t committed to run for re-election and hasn’t found a new city administrator. Coincidence? Daily Outtakes: The Great Commitment Caper – Rick’s Blog
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Yesterday, I ascribed to Victor Taylor that which is true of Norman Grim, namely, Victor Taylor had previous convictions which the media did a disservice to the people of the state, not focusing on his entire history of crime and the failure of prison to reform him, to where less than 3 weeks after release from prison, he murdered a couple who gave him a chance at a job when many wouldn’t over his felonies (and discrimination against returning citizens must be addressed, once you do your time, you do it, people have got to have a chance to live honest), but prison didn’t work on Taylor, his victims got justice last night.
Norman Grim is set to be executed this month. Before he was convicted of the brutal murder in Santa Rosa County which he was sentenced to die for a quarter century ago, he was convicted in 1983 of a number of violent crimes in Escambia County, and received 25 years in prison as a sentence, he also in 1983 has a conviction listed for a lesser term out of Duval County.
The full story of Norman Grim must be told, including the crimes that led him garnering a 25 year sentence, Norman Grim left custody in 1990, he killed his neighbor.
In our area at least, it must be focused on his first crime, because he did not learn from his first major prison sentence, even when he was let out, with much of those 25 years still remaining.
Ron DeSantis will not have the highest per capita execution frequency during his term, Florida, while breaking the record total of the previous highest year, one must look at the population of Florida in 1984 and the population of Florida now, Bob Graham will have a much higher per capita execution rate to his record still, than Ron DeSantis will at the current execution rate pace.